


I Bloom Just For You

by Aziwaphale



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Language of Flowers, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Tattooed Aziraphale, Tattoos, They're both soft, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-10 00:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20519072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aziwaphale/pseuds/Aziwaphale
Summary: Crowley may or may not have a crush on the man that runs the tattoo parlour across the street. So when the man comes in an orders a bouquet of flowers with his knowledge of the language of flowers, Crowley falls head over heels for him.





	I Bloom Just For You

**Author's Note:**

> written for day four of #gomensficweek2019!
> 
> todays prompt was: flower shop/tattoo parlour AU
> 
> this was so adorable to write so I hope that you all love it!!
> 
> title taken from Troye Sivan: Bloom.

It was an average day in the shop for Crowley, he had the usual influx of customers. Boyfriends and spouses wanting bouquets of red roses, old ladies wanting lilies and greenery for their houses, the odd person who either wanted something for a funeral of a wedding. So an average day, by the shops standards. Crowley was currently taking his lunch break, he was sat on the small bench outside the front of the shop, drinking his herbal tea and looking at the store across the road. That was his favourite pastime currently.

The store across the road was actually a tattoo parlour, and it had been there as long as Crowley’s flower shop had. The parlour was named ‘Eternal Inks’ and Crowley may or may not have a crush on the owner.

It’s completely his fault for being so cute, and soft and dreamy and-

Crowley shook his head, ‘stop being so soft’ he whispered to himself and took a bite of his salad.

The owner was a man around Crowley age, but about three inches shorter than him. He had golden white curls that sat on the top of his head, making him look like he almost had a halo. The mysterious man always had on a light coloured suit when he was running the front of the store.

He actually looked like an angel.

The only thing that set him apart were the black tattoos Crowley could see inching their way up the man’s neck and circling his wrists. He was sure that he must be covered in them, and if Crowley tried really hard he could almost imagine them. There were a few others that worked in the store, both young and fresh looking. One of them even had a golden coloured tattoo on their face, which was peculiar to Crowley when he first saw it but after a while he realised they suited them.

He was pulled from his day dreaming when someone above him cleared their throat, causing him to almost jump out of his skin.

‘Oh terribly sorry!’ Came the posh voice, Crowley looked up and almost had a heart attack when he saw the tattoo parlour owner looking down at him softly.

‘I-Uh, S’okay.’ Crowley mumbled, standing up from his seat and brushing his crumbs off his lap. ‘Is there something I can help you with?’ He asked, looking up at the angel man.

Said man smiled at him softly before nodding. Crowley smiled back and led them into the store.

‘So, what can I get ya.’ The man looked around briefly before turning back to Crowley and placing his hands down on the arrangement desk, he looked rather serious about what he wanted to order.

‘Right, I’d like a bouquet, and make it as pretty as you can.’ He said with a sly smirk, but he held up a quick finger to indicate that he knew what flowers he wanted in it. ‘I’d like red dahlias, aconites, orange lilies and petunias. Emphasis on the red dahlias please.’ He said with a twinkle to his eyes.

Crowley was a little taken aback at first when he wrote down the order.

‘You sure you want those flowers? I mean if someone looks them up….’ Crowley trailed off, hoping the man would ask him what the flowers meant so he could show off some of his knowledge.

‘Quite sure, I believe they would make a perfect ‘fuck you’ bouquet don’t you think?’ The man said with a laugh. Crowley sputtered slightly before nodding.

‘Uh yeah, they aren’t the nicest meaning flowers.’ He muttered, writing a small ‘fuck you bouquet’ on the order statement. ‘Would you like them decorated with anything in particular?’

The man scratched his head in thought for a second, that was when Crowley saw it. He had a beautiful arrangement of lavender and borages tattooed on his arm in the best line art he had probably ever seen of the flowers. Before the man could discuss his order any further, Crowley butted in.

‘I, um, I love your tattoo.’

The man looked down at the one Crowley had his pen pointed at and smiled lightly.

‘Courage and peace right? That’s beautiful.’

He chuckled at Crowley’s comment, ‘thank you, they were one of the first tattoos I got.’ Crowley nodded, his interest piqued. ‘I thought a symbol like that permanently placed on my body would give me some motivation when I needed it.’ The man mused.

That was it, Crowley was head over heels in love with this guy, and he didn’t even know his name. He was so pathetic.

‘Anyway back to the bouquet?’ Crowley asked, getting shy under the soft look the man was giving him.

‘Ah yes, well, any decoration you think would suit the tone of the bouquet would be splendid!’ The man said with enthusiasm, putting his hands in his pockets, looking satisfied  
with himself.

‘Can I take your name, for the order?’ Crowley inquired, secretly excited he was finally finding out the mysterious man’s name.

‘Zira.’ The man said with a smile before his eyes widened a little, ‘Oh, Zira Fell if you need my full name!’ He said with a slight worry to his voice. Zira looked down at Crowley’s name tag before his eyebrows raised slightly. ‘And you’re…..Crowley?’

Crowley’s cheeks went red at that, he stammered out a quick response.

‘Well uh, Crowley yes, but you know. Crowley is my last name, my first name is Anthony but I don’t go by that anymore, and someone once told me Crowley was coo-’

Zira cut off his rambling with a held up hand and a small laugh that came from his chest.

‘Crowley… I like it. I’ll be seeing you soon Crowley!’ Zira chuckled before turning around and exiting the store with a wave.

Crowley let out a huge sigh of embarrassment and relief.

‘You’re a bloody idiot Crowley.’ He said running his hand down his face. He looked down at the order again with a chuckle. A ‘fuck you’ bouquet. He better get to it.

______________________________________________________________________

After that first meeting, Crowley and Zira had the tendency to bump into each other from time to time. Either when they were both opening or closing up their relative stores. They would spend a while chatting and getting to know each other before they had to get on with their work.

A few weeks into their conversations Crowley realised that he had never asked Zira who the bouquet was for, to which Zira laughed and told him it was for his old business partner Gabriel, who quickly left him in the dust once a better paying job came along.

‘He even tried to give me a ‘I’m sorry’ bouquet but it was a sorry excuse for one.’ Zira said with an eyeroll.

Crowley couldn’t help but laugh slightly, ‘why what was wrong with it?’

‘He gave me a pathetic bouquet of hyacinths! Not only was the arrangement shocking, but, I can’t stand hyacinths!!’

Crowley couldn’t stop the laughed that flooded out of his at Zira’s statement, who looked annoyed for another brief second at the thought of hyacinths, but then joined in with Crowley and his fit of laughter.

_______________________________________________________________________

They were having lunch together one Sunday afternoon, which was a new addition to their timetables. They got on life a house on fire and Crowley couldn’t be happier about it. Zira had brought some angel cake that he had made the day before and before he served it to them, he had rolled up his sleeves and loosened his top button. Crowley was a little bit distracted by all of the inked skin he could see that he couldn’t help but cut Zira off as he was explaining his angel cake recipe.

‘What’s that one?’

Zira stopped his cake cutting and faced Crowley, ‘what’s what one?’

Crowley got a gust of courage and tapped his finger against the side of Zira’s neck, on the small bit of ink that was peeking past his collar.

‘Oh that.’ Zira blushed, moving his collar down a little so Crowley could get a better look, it was a pair of wings wrapped around an apple. As it was inked on Zira, and seen as though the man seemed to settle for nothing less than perfection, it was breathtaking.

‘Oh wow.’ Crowley breathed, getting a closer look at it, leaving silence so Zira could explain the meaning behind it, which was a routine they almost had now.

‘A little temptation never hurt anybody, sometimes, even angels fall.’ He said softly, his fingers circling Crowley’s wrist as his hand had come up to trace Zira’s tattoo.

There was a very tender moment between the two of them that lunch time. Almost a moment of peace while the rest of the world zoomed around them. Crowley wished for more moments like that with Zira.

________________________________________________________________________

A few weeks was all it took. Crowley was pacing around his flower shop one Friday afternoon. The lunchtime rush had died down and now he was left alone with his thoughts again.

You see, he had made the bouquet yesterday, he was going to give it to Zira yesterday. But, he freaked himself out and didn’t do it. And now it was quiet in the tattoo parlour and he could see Zira sat at the desk in the front of the store and he was trying not to freak out again.

He had to do it today, because he couldn’t possibly go another day without doing it. It was the kind of thing that ate at you until you did it.

‘Calm down Crowley.’ He hissed at himself before he wriggled out of his apron, wiped down his sweaty hands and picked up the bouquet out of the bucket of water it was stored  
in.

He walked quickly across the room to the tattoo parlour and waved shyly when Zira shot him a huge smile.

‘Good afternoon Crowley, making a delivery run?’ Zira pointed at the bouquet in Crowley’s hands, which jolted him back into remembering why he had shot over here.

‘Um, hey Zira..’ he trailed off, looking down at the flowers once more, ‘no actually, they’re for you.’ He muttered, holding the bouquet out for Zira to take, which he did with raised eyebrows.

Now to anyone, this was just a bouquet of flowers, but Crowley knew that Zira knew what flowers meant. So he hoped he got the message.

The bouquet was a carefully displayed arrangement of red tulips, lilacs, white jasmine and honeysuckle. All telltale signs that this was a bouquet of confession.

Zira took a sharp intake of breath once he looked over the flowers, he touched them delicately before looking up at Crowley with a soft look on his face. Crowley was ready to bolt at a moments notice so he didn’t quite notice the look of affection on Zira’s face.

‘I-uh-I understand if you don’t feel the same.’ Crowley said quietly, his eyes staring down at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. He heard Zira chuckle and put down the bouquet, which he took to mean ‘of course I don’t.’

Instead, a soft pair of hands lifted his head up and a delicate thumb brushed away the stray tear that had swelled up in his eyes. He looked up at the angelic man and was taken aback by the look of admiration he saw.

‘Oh.’ He whispered.

‘Yes, oh, you silly thing.’ Zira chuckled before pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. ‘Of course I feel the same way.’

__________________________________________________________________________

After their engagement, Zira surprised Crowley with a new tattoo on his shoulder blade, which was Crowley’s favourite place to kiss because of the splatter of freckles.

Crowley had tried (and failed) not to cry as Zira showed him the collection of flowers he had there now.

A red tulip, lilac, white jasmine and honeysuckle. Alongside a heliotrope, which meant to them, eternal love.


End file.
